Smokeless tobaccos are products that are consumed without subjecting the product to combustion. These products are manufactured in a variety of forms including chewing tobacco, dry snuff, and moist snuff. Generally, these types of products are made as follows with the steps being in no particular order: cutting or grinding the tobacco into a suitable size; dipping or spraying the tobacco with a casing solution; partially drying the tobacco; holding the tobacco in containers for a period of time; and packaging it.
Chewing tobacco is typically sold in one of three forms: a “plug” where the tobacco is compressed into one of any number of shapes: “twists,” where leaves are entwined into a rope-shaped product; and loose, leafy chewing tobacco where it is presented in an envelope-like container. Plugs typically have a moisture content around 15% or less by volume for “hard” plugs and greater than 15% for “soft” plugs. Twists and loose, leafy material are typically lower in moisture.
Snuffs typically are marketed as either “dry” or “moist.” Dry snuffs have moisture content around 8%. Moist snuffs, which typically have about 40 to 60% moisture content, can have a variety of particle sizes depending on the product.